High Hopes: A Phillies Podcast - High Hopes Chapter 1: James Seltzer's Perfect Phillies Offseason

Episode Date: November 16, 2023

James Seltzer lays out the moves he thinks the Phillies should make this offseason. Presented by Miller Lite. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

All-star closer, Kenley Jansen, we have a question. What's the best podcast of all time? Baseball Isn't Boring, baby. I'm Rob Bradford, and every single day I'm sitting down with the biggest names to show you this great game is the greatest game. It's my podcast. It's my passion. It's a cause I started more than two years ago and is now the most prolific national daily baseball pod there is.

Another fact, so jump aboard the B.I.B. Express. Follow and listen to Baseball Isn't Boring presented by Wasabi Hot Cloud Storage on the free Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. Should we just do it? Yeah, I'll go first, as always, because yours is the main event.

Mine's just the little prequel that we'll get there. So again, like notes, notes, notes. Are you showing that to the camera? The problem is the camera can't see it. Well, I don't want to give it away. I just want to see that I had to scroll four times in my notes app to that to the camera the problem is the camera can't see it well i don't want to i don't want to give it away i just want to not see that i had to scroll four times in my notes i have to get to the bottom i even have opening statements really yeah three important why do you have an opening statement three important things to note philosophically

about my perfect off season one i acknowledge that it can't be perfect at every single spot on the roster but i'm pretty close also Also, I'm expecting in-season upgrades. They can still make the team better. I will say at the start, I don't have a great right-handed bench on the bat. I'm sorry about that. I'm working on it. We can get someone during the season or maybe get there.

You don't have a great right-handed bench on the bat? On the bench. Right-handed bat coming off the bench. Damn it. That one's on me. Wow. Unlike Elliot, who would be like, I didn't say that. Like, did you

see the thing we had on the pod, the Go Birds pod? No. Elliot made a very inappropriate comment by mistake and then refused to believe that he said it, even though people tweeted at him and he said it until Tucker sent the video of him saying it to us. So I appreciate, you know, I will just acknowledge when I'm wrong. Okay. So now I'm a good right-handed bench bat. Number two, most importantly, and this is the most important thing that I'm going to say here. I trust Brian Barber and Preston Mattingly and the front office infrastructure to replace and restock the guys I'm trading away.

Because guess what? I'm trading some guys away. So prepare yourself. But this is what good organizations do. What championship organizations do is when they have a real window, and this team is right in the thick of a window, they trust their organizational strength, their ability to draft and develop new players,

to be able to trade away some of those guys they have to bolster the organization, the major league. And before you get into it, I think that is an important thing to talk about, like where we're at with this team right now, is that they have evolved into being in that window. We've talked about their window. We've talked about they should do this now.

It's stone cold in the window. Now's the time. And my perfect golf season reflects that in a big way. Good. And what I like about what John Middleton has said before last season was no one remembers how much money all these 1927 yankees so like if he's in that mindset i mean i think he's also going to be on board with we got it the phillies right now now you can't sell everything but it's about these next four years agree that's all that all that matters you have to position your organization about these

next four years and that's funny because that's my third thing. I know I'm spending John Middleton money. Yes. We're very good at it. My offseason is admittedly greedy. I'm going to say that. But he has said he wants to spend. He has said he wants to win.

I believe in him. And I know our guy Jack's going to spend to win. And I believe he will continue to spend to win titles. Okay. My perfect offseason. Here we go. I'm not going trout fishing, pal. I'm sorry. Yeah, well. I can't do it.

That hurts. I'm winning it with Juan, buddy. I'm winning it with Juan! How about that? We're gonna fight about it again. I'm trading for Juan Soto. He's better. He's a much, much, much better baseball player than Mike Trout. I know it's one year, but I'm gonna get him. Well, he's healthier. He's not better. Okay. He's better.

Now, at this point. You want to do a total package or just hitting? That's a good point. I'm just talking hitting. Okay. That's fair. He's not great in the outfield. Really?

No. We're going to be back to having a bad left fielder. That's fine. I can accept that because we'll have such good players in other positions defensively. I know it's a one-year deal, so you got to help me. I have names on here. Okay. It's only one year i think it might be too much is mick abel johan rojas plus too much it's probably too much you think that's the right amount yes okay so that's why i have mick abel johan rojas and a third prospect in there fair

i actually think it might cost more it's possible well i said a third good prospect so um um listen like obviously i'm not gonna be mad if they trade for Juan Soto. He's Juan freaking Soto. It's just the one-year thing does worry me. And if they've already gone this far, if Scott Boris, and he's one year away from free agency, hitting it at 26. But spend. Win him.

Get him. Sure. But there's also going to be more bidders out there for him. So, of course, they have to go over. The trade a lot for one year of Juan Soto. Now, if it's the World Series window, sure. And obviously, he puts them. And my thought is that with Trout,

I have no faith that he's going to stay on the field. And again, like we talked about in the last one, you made a very compelling case for Trout. When you make your perfect offseason, I'm not going to fight. If they trade for Mike Trout, I'm not going to be mad or whatever or whatever obviously i'll be in on it i just i would rather guarantee my lineup this year with juan soto and especially if i can win a world series

with that guy i think he's gonna stay i think they're gonna keep him here um a lot of his guys are here which is important and his guys are here kevin long's here trey turner's here brace harper's here like all these guys he knows and has played with Kyle Schwarber. So I do think that matters. I think it's a good spot for me. Wants me on the East Coast. So I know it's a risk. I get that. But I'm trading for Juan Soto.

I'm giving up the pieces to do it. All right, so that's my first move of the offseason. Now the pitcher thing. I'm letting Nola walk. Okay. I'm not excited about it. And if I thought I could get Nola for a cheaper price in cheaper years, I would do it. But I'm trying toola walk. Okay. I'm not excited about it. And if I thought I could get Nola for a cheaper price in cheaper years,

I would do it. But I'm trying to be realistic with this. So I am signing. And again, I don't think this guy is going to come here, but this is my perfect offseason. I'm signing Yoshinobu Yamamoto to an eight-year $200 million contract. Nice. I think it's the fair number.

I did a lot of research about potential contracts. This guy, it seems like an appropriate number. I'm stretching. I'm taking eight years. He's only 25 years old. He'll be essentially a year older than Noel is now when the contract is done. Yeah. I think he's awesome.

Yeah. I actually, I was about to say scouted. I did not scout. I watched. I watched. You scouted him. I did. You scouted him.

I watched a lot. You know me. I'm not Mr. What? That's you. That's what you do. I watch a lot of this kid, and he's freaking awesome. He is legit, legit. He's won the pitching triple crown three times, won MVP twice, won their Cy Young three times.

I just think he's awesome, and he's only 25, and there's so much future in front of this kid. I would rather pay a 25-year-old a ton of money than pay Aaron Noller pay Big Snell. That's what it comes down to for me in terms of signing a pitcher. And again, I don't think it's going to happen but I want you I want him I want Yamamoto that's my move

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Now I'm signing him for 6175. Okay. But still, I mean, it's going to be around there between six and eight years. Everything you said, 25 years old. I think that's the most important part. Me too. That was my main thing. So even if he comes over and ends up being a three, the thing about Yamamoto that's so enticing is that wheeler's here under

contract or well they got resigned after next year um we do have andrew painter coming in 2025 and then it's hard to bank on him but he was a top five can't miss prospect until he needed tommy john so if you go if he lives up to the hype and you can go wheeler painter yamamoto ranger right santa i mean dude mean, it's nasty. Well, that's why I like the idea, and you'd have to sign Soto, but I like the idea of having these, because it does seem like the Phillies are into the stretching contracts thing. Oh, yeah.

And to signing guys long-term for cheaper IAV, which is smart, and I like it. And obviously, look, there's going to be some payment on the back end that might not be as pretty as we want it to be. But if you're already doing this thing, I like the idea of staggering them them you know you got the turner harper one going for a while then you add the soto yamamoto with them and you're kind of just you gotta for force them to just carry you forward and wheeler will be signed too so i love it and again i i get the soto stuff but i need one soto here i'm sorry okay um all right i have two more big moves three moves total two more big moves uh one one more. Two more big moves. One more

big move, but a minor move, but I'm making two bullpen moves. I don't even know that we need two bullpen guys, but I can't help myself. I'm signing Hector Neris. Yes, bring him back. He's coming home, man. He's awesome. He was really good again this year in Houston.

As long as he's not the closer. No, I got that coming. No worries. He's not the closer. So I'm signing Hector. Two years, $20 million. I feel like that's probably pretty fair. He opted out of a one-year, $8.5 million deal. I think two for $20. Give him that extra year, a little bump.

So I think Hector, two years, $20. Plus the vibes thing, man. He was one of those guys who was beloved here. We need Phillies back. But all you ever heard about Hector, everyone loved him. All the guys loved him. I think he fits in perfectly he's freaking awesome learn some stuff with the astros sad to say world series champion hector naris yeah um well we

don't acknowledge that no he's not he's not allowed to bring his ring but i if he's no no no no no no learn it lose it like lose it kelsey did exactly bring hector on all right so this is this is my last big move um and it's more a symbol of the idea the type of move i want to make because i know they go sign hater it's the only closer on the market that i'm if they want to go sign i'd be like all right cool that that's closer yeah like leah mendrix had tommy john he's not gonna be ready all that stuff which i did not know on last week's podcast i realized that i found it out in between and i was like oh um so and look i don't know if this team would trade this guy and i'm not saying he's my favorite I realize that. I found it out in between. I was like, ooh, got to bring that up. Look, I don't know if this team would trade this guy.

And I'm not saying he's my favorite, but I think he's pretty good. And he's 26. He's under control through 27. I know I'm going to have to give up something legit to Gavin. I have Justin Crawford as the person I'm giving him, but it might be too much. You have to tell me on that. But there were rumors about him last year at the trade deadline.

I think that this team is in the process of rebuilding. 27's not that far away. They're definitely not going to pay him after. I'm trading for Alexis Diaz to be my closer. Okay. Rumors last year at the trade deadline. They were talking about moving him. It was a thing.

More the idea that I'm trading for a closer. Okay. Whether it's Bednar, whether it's Diaz. I think Diaz is who I can get a little cheaper than getting Bednar. I think Bednar would cost more. I think Alex Lang costs you more. I think you can get Diaz for a little bit cheaper. They were already thinking about moving.

I think it's a team that's willing to make kind of weird moves like that too in the Reds where you wouldn't, it's kind of antithetical. So I'm trading for, do you think it costs Crawford? I had Crawford for Diaz. Probably Crawford and another something.

I mean, we know how valuable closers are. And he's really good. He's really good. Edwin Diaz's brother, for people who don't know. Edwin Diaz versus Alexis Diaz for the next. It's kind of fun. So I was trying to find someone that made sense. And again, I know that in these deals, I'm giving up Mick Abel,

Yohan Rojas, Justin Crawford Plus. I get it. I am draining the pharmacist, but I'm keeping Aiden Miller, and I'm keeping again I know that in these deals I'm giving up Mick Abel, Yoann Rojas, Justin Crawford plus like I get it I am draining the pharmacist but I'm keeping Aiden Miller and I'm keeping Andrew Painter I'm keeping some other dudes who I like coming up so oh who do you like coming up we'll get there uh so I feel good about that and then my last move yeah um uh and this is a bench room and again I know it's a left-handed bat but it's to replace Jake Cave I still need more I know we got do we need to replace Jake Cave I know it's a left-handed bat, but it's to replace Jake Cave. I still need more. Do we need to replace Jake Cave? I mean, he was so good last year. You're right. It's a good point.

The point is to replace is the wrong word. To take his spot on the roster. I guess that's replaced. Same thing. I'm signing Eddie Rosario to a one-year $5 million deal. I just want a dude who's freaking done it. And when he steps up in the playoffs, I feel like if I need a guy to come up in a spot and get me a pinch hit in the playoffs, I feel like he's going to come through for me and that's that's

that dude and can spot start if you had to but like he's good and he comes through in the place of freaking nlcs mvp i know they don't necessarily need another lefty bat but that's my move there i just need eddie rosario here again i'm admitting i need to upgrade at the end of the day at right hand at bat on the bench and i'm gonna need to uh you know the the end of the day at right-handed bat on the bench. And I'm going to need to, you know, the question about the fifth starter. Walker's still on my team. It is what it is. So here's my, I'll give you my lineup and bullpen as it stands after my offseason.

Schwarber leading off. And again, you could argue how the lineup plays out. I got a couple of lefties in a row, whatever. But Schwarber leading off. Turner in the 2-0. Harper in the 3-0. Juan Soto in the 4-0. Not bad. JT in theall Stott six Boehm seven Marsh eight Cassie nine you can move yeah whatever yeah it was more of a statement I mean that's it's a pretty damn good lineup there yeah rotation

Wheeler Yamamoto Ranger Sanchez Walker if you're really good about that Walker's your five like that's okay um and then a bullpen of of diaz alvarado naris kirkering strom soto sir anthony and hoffman and a bench of sosa stubs pash and rosario like it's not perfect it's pretty close to perfect so pretty good it's pretty good i feel really good about it my only problem with a lot of effort and work in this year my friend rosario i just know would come here and immediately go back to being like twins rosario i know um which because like on paper of course like kills them just kills this team i love them dude it's just like it's like conan all over again we were like the one guy in the in the braves whatever was game four we're like the one guy

we didn't want to come to it was the one guy the one guy Rob Thompson planned the bullpen around was Eddie Rosario, which is insane, but you have to. So that's a really good team. I'm proud of you. Thank you. This might be the best I've ever done in the perfect offseason.